Electrolytic storage cell monitoring system

ABSTRACT

Nonintrusive sensors capable of measuring various storage cell parameters such as voltage, state-of-charge, electrolyte level, internal resistance, and temperature are attached to a monitoring module which gathers and processes signals representative of information concerning the condition of electrolytic storage cells and transmits the information to a central computer for further processing. In response to commands issued by the central computer, appropriate maintenance and/or repair operations can be initiated. Alternatively, the system described can be used to automatically perform such maintenance tasks as checking and adding electrolyte levels, reducing the voltage in cells whose output voltage is too high, and leveling the state-of-charge of each cell in an array of electrolytic storage cells. The system can monitor other functions of the electrolytic storage cells, including the evolution of hydrogen gas and the accumulation of sediments in individual electrolytic storage cells.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a monitoring system, and more particularly, toa system for monitoring a plurality of electrolytic storage cells.

BACKGROUND ART

Most major installations in the United States that use electrical powerhave backup systems in case the normal electrical supply becomesdisabled. Typical examples include large office buildings, hospitals,public utility systems, and municipal facilities. Frequently, the sourceof the backup electrical power is a bank of interconnected electrolyticstorage cells, such as the common lead-acid storage cell, which retainelectrical charge for conversion to electrical current. Since it isoften unpredictable when such systems will be called upon to supplytheir emergency function, it is critical that they be maintained at ornear their greatest possible efficiency. Accordingly, the users of suchsystems have frequently put in place preventive maintenance and/orrepair procedures.

Among the popular present methods for maintaining and/or repairing alarge array of storage cells are: 1) to wait until some cell in thearray fails; 2) to periodically replace the cells in the array, therebyreducing the chance that any one of the cells will fail when the arrayis called upon for its emergency purpose; or 3) to periodically testeach cell in the array. A problem with the first method is that greatexpense can be incurred should the array fail when it is needed. Aproblem with second method is that it may be unnecessarily expensive andwasteful to periodically replace cells that may not be defective. Aproblem with the third method is that each individual cell must beseparately checked with intrusive tests of the cell's electrolyte, whichis typically a combination of various fluids such as water (H₂ O) andsulfuric acid (H₂ SO₄).

Accordingly, it would be useful to have a method for monitoring andmaintaining such arrays when and only when such services are required.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus fornonintrusively monitoring electrolytic parameters of one or moreelectrolytic storage cells.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor nonintrusively detecting the level of an electrolyte in a storagecell.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for nonintrusively detecting the specific gravity of anelectrolyte in a storage cell.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for nonintrusively detecting the state-of-charge of a storagecell.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatusincluding one or more sensors that comprise a circuit for nonintrusivelymeasuring the voltage, internal resistance, and the temperature of astorage cell.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system ofstorage cells, including a monitoring module attached to each storagecell and means for addressing each monitoring module to collect signalsrepresenting the electrolytic condition of each storage cell.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a systemincluding means for bringing the storage cells to a desired state ofcharge.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide anapparatus including means for nonintrusively measuring the evolution ofby-products resulting from charging the storage cell.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide anapparatus for measuring the level of sediment at the bottom of theenclosure of a storage cell.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatusfor adjusting a level of the electrolyte in each storage cell in anarray of storage cells.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an apparatusfor causing an array of storage cells to be bought to a desiredstate-of-charge by means of balancing the state-of-charge of eachstorage cell in the array of storage cells.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a system for monitoringelectrolytic parameters of one or more electrolytic storage cells. Thesystem includes a monitoring module associated with each electrolyticstorage cell, means for addressing each monitoring module to collect thesignals representative of the electrolytic condition of each storagecell, and means for processing the collected signals to monitor thecondition of each storage cell.

Each monitoring module has one or more sensors attached to theassociated storage cell, means for measuring the complex impedance ofeach of the attached sensors, and means for producing signalsrepresentative of the electrolytic parameters of the associated storagecell.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a system formonitoring electrolytic parameters of one or more electrolytic storagecells. The system comprises a monitoring module attached to each storagecell, means for addressing each monitoring module, and means forprocessing the collected signals to monitor the condition of eachstorage cell and generating the command signals in response to thecondition of each storage cell.

Each monitoring module has means for generating a signal containing apredetermined frequency, coupling means for coupling the signal intoeach storage cell, a sensor attached to the associated storage cell, andmeans for measuring the complex impedance of the sensor at thepredetermined frequency. Each monitoring module also includes means forproducing signals representative of the electrolytic parameters of theassociated storage cell, communication means for transmitting andreceiving signals, and a microprocessor operating under the control of aprogram to send the signals representative of the electrolyticparameters of the associated storage cell to the communication means andto receive command signals from the communication means. The addressingmeans is for collecting the signals representative of the electrolyticcondition of each storage cell and transmitting the command signals tothe addressed monitoring module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an electrolytic storage cell, showing afirst embodiment of an apparatus for monitoring the electrolyte level ofthe storage cell.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the capacitive electrolyte levelmonitor of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit of thecapacitive electrolyte level monitor of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for measuring the electrolytelevel in the electrolytic storage cell, in accordance with theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an electrolytic storage cell, showing asecond embodiment of an apparatus for monitoring the electrolyte levelof the storage cell and an embodiment of an apparatus for monitoring thespecific gravity of the storage cell.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the elevation view of the electrolytelevel and specific gravity monitors of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of an equivalent model of the electrolytelevel and specific gravity monitors of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5C is a representative waveform of the response of the equivalentmodel of the electrolyte level and specific gravity monitors of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for measuring the electrolytelevel in the electrolytic storage cell, in accordance with theembodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a graph of the specific gravity and sensor impedance measuredin an evaluation of the second embodiment of the apparatus, as shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a graph depicting the correlation between the sensor impedanceand the specific gravity of an electrolytic cell as measured by thesecond embodiment of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a cut-away isometric view of an apparatus for monitoring thestate-of-charge of an electrolytic storage cell.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a plan view of an embodiment of theapparatus of FIG. 9, exemplifying electrode flux exclusion.

FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of a elevation view of an embodiment ofthe apparatus of FIG. 9, exemplifying electrode flux exclusion.

FIG. 11A is a graph of the specific gravity and percentage frequencyshift of the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 as the storage cell is subjectedto significant levels of current drain, up to ten percent beyond thestorage cell's rated discharge capacity.

FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram of the test circuit used to obtain thedata of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a cell voltage/cell resistance/celltemperature/bus-cell connection resistance monitoring circuit for usewith an electrolytic storage cell.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a circuit useful to test the internalresistance and the bus-cell connection resistance of an electrolyticstorage cell.

FIG. 14A is a graph of the pulse charge response of a fully chargedelectrolytic storage cell.

FIG. 14B is a graph of the pulse charge response of an electrolyticstorage cell which has been discharged ten percent beyond its rateddischarge capacity.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of an electrolytic storage cell with amultiparameter monitoring package, for use in a cell monitoring system.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the circuitry of themultiparameter monitoring package of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary isometric view of part of an electrolyticstorage cell array equipped with multiparameter monitoring packages ofFIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of the comprehensive cell monitoringsystem of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the isometric view of FIG. 1, an electrolytic storage cell20 is contained with an enclosure 22 having a positive terminal 24 and anegative terminal 26. The enclosure 22, which contains the electrolytefor the cell 20, can be either a separate enclosure for each cell or anenclosure containing two or more storage cells 20. The terminals 24 and26 typically extend upwardly through an upper surface 28 of theenclosure 22. A cap 30 is also located on the upper surface 28. The cap30 can be used to access the interior of the enclosure 22 to measure thespecific gravity or other electrolytic parameters of the electrolyticcell, such as by the use of a conventional hydrometer, or to adjust aparameter of the electrolyte contained within the electrolytic storagecell 20. The cap 30 can be removed and replaced, according to whetherthe cell is to be tested or stored. As will be described below, theelectrolytic storage cell 20 is configured to have its electrolytemonitored by an electrode array 38, which is a conventional printedcircuit (PC) attached to the vertical surface 36.

FIGS. 2A and B are schematic diagrams of the capacitive electrolytelevel monitor of FIG. 1 and of its equivalent circuit. The PC electrodearray 38 includes a plurality of sequentially interrogated electrodes39₁, . . . 39_(N), each having a capacitance with respect to the otherelectrodes and to the electrolyte contained within electrolytic storagecell 20. The capacitance depends on the electrode's size and thecomposition and thickness of the wall of enclosure 22. If each electrode39 is a copper strip approximately one inch long and 0.1 inch wide, itscapacitance will be approximately 39 picofarads. The electrodes 39 areattached to the exterior vertical surface 36 of the storage cell 20. Theelectrodes 39₁, . . . , 39_(N) serve the purpose of sinking electricalcurrents which differ depending on whether a sequencing interrogationcircuit 40 is connected to two electrodes 39 which are both below anelectrolyte level 42 of the electrolytic storage cell 20. Thoseelectrodes 39 which are above the electrolyte level 42 do not affect theoperation of the interrogation circuit 40.

Equivalently, the electrode array 38 of FIG. 2B can be viewed as takingthe form of a number of series capacitors 44₁, . . . , 44_(N), formed bythe capacitance between each electrode 39 and the electrolyte separatedby the cell case, and connected by means of a series of parallelcapacitors 46₁, . . . , 46_(N), formed by the stray capacitance betweenadjacent electrodes 39. The effective series capacitors 44 and theeffective parallel capacitors 46 which are located below the electrolytelevel 42 absorb more signal than do their counterparts above theelectrolyte level because of the electrical "shorting" effect of theelectrolyte. In effect, the capacitors formed by electrodes which areabove the electrolyte level 42 do not contribute to the capacitance ofthe array 38. This can be detected as a change in the capacitance in theconsecutive electrodes 39 on the electrode array 38. Accordingly, theelectrolyte level 42 can be located with a precision that is equal tothe separation between consecutive electrodes 39. If desired, electrodespacing can be varied in the electrode array 38 in order to achieve highprecision location of the electrolyte level 42 when it is at certainlevels and coarser precision at other electrolyte levels 42.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a first interrogation circuit 40 formeasuring the electrolytic level in the electrolytic storage cell 20 bytesting the capacitance of the consecutive electrodes 39 in theelectrode array 38. The circuit 40 includes a vector impedance meter 80which is connected to a parallel inductor 86 (having an inductance ofapproximately 10 microhenries) and, in turn, to a pair of 1"×0.1" copperstrips 88. The vector impedance meter 80 both drives the inductors 86and strips 88 at a controllable frequency and measures their combinedimpedance at that frequency. The vector impedance meter 80 can take theform of a conventional Hewlett-Packard impedance meter.

The copper strips 88 are arranged so that in one case both of the copperstrips are above the electrolytic fluid and in another case both stripsare below the electrolytic fluid. It has been discovered that, for anapproximate choice of the inductor 86, the resonant impedance of thecircuit composed of the inductor 86, a pair of consecutive electrodes 39(in the form of copper strips 88), the cell case, and the electrolytecontained within the cell case, varies considerably depending uponwhether the electrodes 39 are both covered by the electrolyte or bothexposed. If the electrolyte is above both electrodes, the resonantimpedance of the circuit is 59 kilohms (at a resonant frequency of 25.9MHz), while if the electrolyte is below both electrodes 39, the resonantimpedance falls to 25 kilohms (at a resonant frequency of 26.5 MHz). Ithas also been discovered that exposing the electrodes 39 by tipping thecell requires approximately 15 minutes of evaporation time for theresonant impedance to stabilize to 25 kilohms.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the electrolytic storage cell 20configured to have its electrolyte monitored by two sense coils 32 and34. Both the level and the specific gravity of the electrolyte can bemonitored by the apparatus shown in FIG. 4. A fluid level sense coil 32(which will be explained in greater detail subsequently) is attached toa vertical surface 36 of the enclosure 22 at a level which is within therange of electrolyte levels that can be expected in normal operation ofthe electrolyte storage cell 20. In addition, a specific gravity sensecoil 34 is placed on the vertical surface 36 at a level to which it isnot expected that the electrolyte level will fall.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the elevation view of the electrolytelevel and specific gravity monitors of FIG. 4, FIG. 5B is a schematicdiagram of an equivalent model of the electrolyte level and specificgravity monitors of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5C is a representative waveform ofthe response of the equivalent model of the electrolyte level andspecific gravity monitors of FIG. 4.

The schematic diagram of FIG. 5A represents either of the sense coils 32and 34 shown in FIG. 4. Only one coil is operated at a time when amonitor is making a measurement. The model of FIG. 5B consists of acollection of capacitors, resistors, and inductors. The model can beshown, by conventional transient circuit analysis of the actual andvirtual (image) currents produced when the sense coil 32 or 34 is causedto resonate, to have a characteristic response in the form of a dampedsinusoid. The sense coil 32 or 34 (FIG. 5A) generates an oppositelydirected image current corresponding to its respective location. Theimage current is distributed along the inner surface of the enclosure 22in such a way that it produces electromagnetic fields identical to thosewhich would be produced by oppositely-directed currents at locationswhich are mirror images of the currents through the coil 32 or 34. Thecurrents in the coil 32 or 34 are densest in the portions of the coilwhich are closest to the enclosure 22, and the image currents aredensest along the portions of the enclosure 22 which are closest to thecoil 32 or 34. Both the damping rate and the resonant frequency of thecircuit (see FIG. 5C) are characteristic of aspects of the model. As canbe shown by conventional analysis, the resistances of the copper(R_(Cu)) of the sense coil and the electrolyte (R_(H2SO4)) of thestorage cell 20, as well as the inductance of the sense coil 32 or 34,contribute to the response shown in FIG. 5C. These can be related to theelectrolyte level and the specific gravity of the electrolyte.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a circuit for measuring the electrolytelevel in the electrolytic storage cell 20 by testing the circuitcomposed of the inductive sense coil 32. A vector impedance meter 80produces a signal which is received by a capacitor 82 and a ten turncoil 84 (which can be rectangular, one inch high and two inches wide).If the fluid in the electrolytic storage cell 20 is above the coil 84,which is located on the side of the electrolytic cell, the circuit has aresonant impedance of 7.6 kilohms at 6.3 MHz. If, however, the fluid isbelow the coil 84, the circuit's resonant impedance rises to 22 kilohmsat a frequency of 6.1 MHz. Since, as described above, the impedance ofthe circuit including the capacitor 82 and the coil 84 is dependent uponwhether the coil 84 is immersed in the electrolyte, the electrolytelevel can be determined by measurements of the circuit's resonantimpedance. In experiments, it was noticed that the resonant impedancemeasurement stabilizes with no noticeable delay if the cell is tipped toplace the fluid level below the two coils.

FIG. 7 is a graph of the specific gravity and sensor impedance measuredin an evaluation of the sense coil 34 (see FIG. 4), as the specificgravity of the electrolyte, as measured by a hydrometer, decreases. Tocollect the data, the circuit shown in FIG. 5 is driven by a sinusoidalvoltage at a frequency of approximately 6 MHz. The specific gravitydecreases while the sensor impedance increases progressively withelapsed discharge time over a period of eleven hours at a dischargecurrent of 11.7 amperes.

FIG. 8 is a graph depicting the correlation between the specific gravityand sensor impedance, according to the parameters of the pair of sensecoils 32 and 34. The sensor impedance and specific gravity areapproximately inversely related: as the specific gravity of theelectrolytic cell decreases, the resonant impedance of the sensor coilincreases. The monotonic behavior of the curve plotted in FIG. 8 impliesthat, over a wide range, specific gravity can be inferred by measurementof the sensor impedance. The sensor impedance can be measured byconventional means, as described above.

FIG. 9 is a cut-away isometric view that illustrates a state-of-chargemonitoring circuit for use with the electrolyte storage cell 20. Thecell 20 includes a multi-turn sense coil 50 which is used to monitor thestate-of-charge. The coil 50 surrounds the enclosure 22 of the cell 20in a horizontal plane, and is closely adjacent to the vertical surfaces36 of the cell 20.

The enclosure 22 of the electrolytic storage cell 20 contains aplurality of vertically parallel plates 52, which, in a lead-acidstorage cell, are composed of lead and lead dioxide. Driving the coil 50by a sinusoidal voltage at a high frequency, in the range ofapproximately 100 kHz, creates magnetic fields within the enclosure.

The inductance of the coil 50, and hence its resonant frequency, isaffected by the state of charge of the cell 20. The magnetic fieldsimposed by the coil 50 induce currents within the parallel plates 52.The currents reside on the surface of the plates, at a depth that isrelated to the frequency of excitation of the coil 50. If the skin depthin the plate is less than half the plate's thickness and the skin depthin the electrolyte greater than the width of the storage cell 20, thestate-of-charge of the electrolytic storage cell 20 is roughlyproportional to the negative change in the inductance of the sense coil50. The reason is that the inductance change is proportional to thenegative of the change in the flux-excluded volume, which is roughlyproportional to the change in the electrode volume.

Since the electrically conducting lead plates are partially converted toelectrically insulating lead sulfide during cell discharge, the cell'sinventory of lead, hence its flux-excluded volume, is a measure of thecell's state of change. Consequently, the state-of-charge is determinedfrom the inductance change, which is measured as the integral, over thevolume of the cell 20, of the square of the induced magnetic field (theB-field) within the cell 20.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of an embodiment of theapparatus of FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10A, the clockwise current throughthe sense coil 50 passes along its internal portions. This induces thecounterclockwise currents along the surfaces of each of the plates 52 toa skin depth which is determined, in part, by the frequency of thevoltage imposed on the sense coil 50. The currents are excluded from thelead plates by the skin depth of the circulating currents.

In turn, the induced currents cause the magnetic H-field and the inducedmagnetic B-field to be created within the electrolytic cell 20. Thedirection of the induced magnetic field is given by the arrow 54, shownin both FIGS. 10A and 10B.

As shown particularly in FIG. 10B, the concentrated current in the sensecoil 50 induces counter currents of substantially the same strength tobe induced in the plate 52 which is closest to the sense coil 50.

FIG. 11A is a graph of the specific gravity and the percentage frequencyshift in a resonant frequency circuit (shown in FIG. 11B) representingthe coil/cell configuration shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, as functions of theamount of charge removed from the electrolytic storage cell 20. The coil50 is operating at a frequency of 116 kHz and the cell 20 is beingdischarged at a rate of 40 amperes. It is clear that the frequency shiftand specific gravity of a given electrolytic storage cell 20 run closelyparallel to one another. Accordingly, it is possible to monitor a rangeof specific gravities in the cell 20 by measuring the change in theresonant frequency of the cell/coil combination relative to the resonantfrequency before the cell was discharged. The signal produced by thecoil 50 can be analyzed in terms of its frequency shift to obtain theuniquely related measurement of the specific gravity.

FIG. 11B is the electrical circuit used to obtain the data shown in FIG.11A. The inductor marked "sensor" represents the inductance of the sensecoil 50 shown in both FIGS. 9 and 10. The capacitor 56 was chosen toresonate with the inductance of sensor coil 50 at a frequency of 116kHz. The value of the resistor 58 was chosen to be equal to the resonantimpedance of the parallel tuned circuit 62 composed of the impedance ofthe sensor coil 50 and the capacitor 56, so that the applied voltagewould be roughly equal across both the resistor 58 and the paralleltuned circuit 62 at resonance. As the cell 20 discharged, the inductanceof the sensor coil 50 increased, changing the frequency at which theparallel tuned circuit 62 resonated. The frequency shift is the amountby which the applied frequency had to be changed in order to restoreresonance. Resonance was determined by maintaining zero phase shiftbetween the resistor 58 and the parallel tuned circuit 62.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a circuit 70 for monitoring the cellvoltage, cell resistance, cell temperature, cell charging/dischargingcurrent, and bus-cell connection resistance of the electrolytic storagecell 20. The circuit 70 operates on the principle of a pulse dischargeof the storage cell 20 through its terminals 24 and 26, which areattached to the circuit 70. The voltage of the cell 20 powers thevoltage/resistance/temperature monitoring circuit 70 of FIG. 12. Aconverter 72 also converts cell voltage to a form suitable for poweringelectronic measuring circuitry 74 including voltage-to-frequencyconverters 76. These converters 76 produce frequencies proportional tosignals representing, respectively, the pulse discharge current (betweenpoints A and A'), the bus-to-cell connection resistance (throughvoltages at B and B' and C and C'), the cell resistance (throughvoltages at C and C'), the cell temperature (through a voltage from thetemperature sensor T) and the cell current (through a voltage from theHall-effect current sensor H).

The voltage-to-frequency converters 76 report sequentially under thecontrol of circuitry 74, whose function is to provide sequential reportsof the signals between point pairs A--A', B--B', and C--C', and betweenpoints H and T and ground. In this way, a conventional externalprocessor (not shown) may determine respectively, the voltage, bus-cellconnection resistance, cell PG,13 resistance, cell charging/dischargingcurrent, and cell temperature. The voltage between points C and C'reflects the cell resistance, while the voltage between points B and B'reflect both the cell resistance and the bus-to-cell connections.Therefore, by subtracting the C voltages from the B voltages, a measureof the bus-to-cell connection resistance can be developed.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a circuit 90 for performing a cellinternal resistance test. The test is performed by momentarilyactivating a switch such as a field-effect transistor 94 with a pulsegenerator 92 so as to briefly discharge storage capacitor 96 through thecell 20, which is supplying a current through a load resistor 97. Thestorage capacitor 96 is precharged by power supply 98 before the pulsetest is imposed on the cell 20. The current supplied by power supply 98is limited by the limiting resistor 85. Voltages measured at points e,i, and g can be used to infer the internal resistance of the cell 20 bymonitoring the voltage across the cell 20 between points e and g, andmonitoring the current through the cell 20 by measuring the voltageimposed across the calibrated resistor 99 between points i and g.

FIG. 14A is a graph of the pulse charge response of a fully chargedelectrolytic storage cell 20 to the pulse charge test whose circuitry isshown in FIG. 13. In this case, the internal resistance is determined tobe 1.10 milliohms. The upper trace 101 in FIG. 14A represents thevoltage between points e and g in FIG. 13, while the lower trace 103represents the voltage between points i and g.

FIG. 14B is a graph of the pulse charge response to a similar pulsecharge test performed on the same electrolytic storage cell 20 which hasundergone a change in the quantity of charge available by 140 amperehours (ten percent beyond rated discharge capacity). In this case, theinternal resistance has increased to 1.45 milliohms. The upper trace101' in FIG. 14B represents the voltage between points e and g in FIG.13, while the lower trace 103' represents the voltage between points iand g. Comparison of the upper traces 101 and 101' in FIGS. 14A and 14Bshows that the voltage between the points e and g has increased afterthe cell 20 has been discharged, while the two lower traces 103 and 103'have not changed. This indicates that the internal resistance of thecell 20 has increased. The amount of the resistance increase can beobtained through a conventional analysis of the four voltages describedabove.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the electrolytic storage cell 20 withthe multi-turn sense coil 50 which is electrically connected to aconventional monitoring module 60. The monitor module 60 containssensors, signal conditioners, a DC-DC converter, a decoder, andtelemetry. Much of this circuitry may be provided by an appropriatelyprogrammed conventional microprocessor or microcomputer. The monitoringmodule 60 can further measure the output voltage, resistance,temperature, electrolyte level, and state-of-charge of a battery storingelectrical energy as described above.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the monitoring module60. The monitoring module 60 includes a programmed single chipmicrocomputer 100, an input power supply 102 (DC-to-DC converter)connected to the single chip microcomputer 100, and appropriate sensors104. In addition, the single chip microcomputer 100, which includes apower supply control, sensor timing and control, and output dataformatter, is connected to a conventional telemetry transmitter 106which can, for example, communicate with the serial-to-telemetry adaptor95 shown in FIG. 18. In addition, the single chip microcomputer 100 isconnected to the telemetry receiver 108 which passes data it receivesthrough an address and command decode circuit to the sensor timing andcontrol circuit. As is clear from FIG. 18, the telemetry transmitter 106and receiver 108 can be used to establish two-way communications betweeneach individual sensor module 60 and a control computer 93.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary isometric view of one embodiment of the presentinvention, whereby a plurality of individual electrolytic storage cells20, connected together in a series array by their terminals 24 and 26 toproduce a relatively high voltage DC current source, are individuallyequipped with cell monitoring modules 60.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a comprehensive cell monitoring systemaccording to the present invention. Each of a plurality of theindividual electrolytic storage cells 20 has a monitoring module 60(described above) attached. Each monitoring module 60 is capable ofconventional two-way communications with the control computer 93 by wayof serial-to-telemetry adaptor 95. The personal computer 93, equivalentto an IBM XT or AT, serves as a central controller and processor for theentire array of electrolytic storage cells 20. If desired, each of themonitoring modules 60 can remain in an "off" or "standby" conditionuntil it is queried in sequence by the control computer 93. For eachcell, the control computer 93 will issue an encoded command recognizedonly by the monitor module 60 of the targeted cell. When commanded, thetargeted cell monitoring module 60 will respond by turning on, measuringall parameters, and sending data to the control computer 93. Thecomputer 93 can issue commands to the serial-to-telemetry adaptor 95which, in turn, will send appropriate signals to the identifiedelectrolytic storage cell 20.

In addition to performing such tasks directed toward monitoring theelectrical parameters of the electrolytic storage cells 20, the cellmonitoring function can also determine the onset of the evolution ofbubbles of gaseous hydrogen in the electrolyte acoustically (through,conventional miniaturized microphones, for example). The function canalso maintain automatic cell charge balance among the operating cells20. This is accomplished by reducing the voltage on those cells 20 whoseoutput voltage is high while increasing the voltage on those cells whoseoutput voltage is low. Such adjustments in cell voltages can beaccomplished by adjusting the state-of-charge of each of the cells 20.

An additional cell monitoring function provided by the monitoring module60 is fluid level maintenance to automatically add water or otherelectrolytes (through conventional means, which have been automated) tothe affected electrolytic storage cell 20. Such fluids may be lost fromthe cell 20 by evaporation or by being expended by electrolysis duringthe operation of the cell. A further cell monitoring function is tomonitor sediment level in the enclosure 22 of the electrolytic storagecell 20 using SONAR or other conventional principles to measure thethickness of the sediment layer.

While it is clear that those skilled in the art can make variousmodifications of the embodiments disclosed above, the invention is to belimited only by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A system for monitoring electrolytic parameters of one ormore electrolytic storage cells, each storage cell including a pluralityof conductive metal plates immersed in an electrolyte, comprising:amonitoring module associated with each storage cell, each monitoringmodule having:a. one or more sensors attached to the associated storagecell, b. means for making a measurement of the complex impedance of eachof the attached sensors at a single predetermined frequency, the compleximpedance being a function of frequency and at least one of theelectrolytic parameters of the associated storage cell, and c. means forproducing signals representative of the electrolytic parameters of theassociated storage cell from the measurement of the complex impedance ofeach attached sensor at the single predetermined frequency; means foraddressing each monitoring module to collect the signals representativeof the electrolytic parameters of each storage cell; and means forprocessing the collected signals to monitor the electrolytic parametersof each storage cell.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or moresensors include a sensor for detecting the level of an electrolyte inthe associated storage cell.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensorfor detecting the level of an electrolyte in the associated storage cellincludes a plurality of capacitive sensors, some of the capacitivesensors being above the level of the electrolyte and some of thecapacitive sensors being below the level of the electrolyte.
 4. Thesystem of claim 3 wherein the capacitors are linearly arranged and eachcapacitor is connected in parallel to an inductor, thereby forming aresonant circuit having a complex impedance that is dependent upon thelevel of the electrolyte in the associated storage cell.
 5. The systemof claim 2 wherein the sensor for detecting the level of an electrolytein the associated storage cell comprises a first inductive coil placedadjacent the associated storage cell so that at least a portion of thefirst inductive coil is below a plane defined by the level of theelectrolyte.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the means for detectingthe level of an electrolyte comprises a first inductive coil placedadjacent the associated storage cell so that at least a portion of thefirst inductive coil is below a plane defined by the level of theelectrolyte.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein another one of the one ormore sensors comprises a second inductive coil for detecting thespecific gravity of the electrolyte, the second inductive coil beingplaced adjacent the associated storage cell so that the second inductivecoil is below the plane defined by the level of the electrolyte.
 8. Thesystem of claim 5 wherein the means for detecting the level of anelectrolyte comprises a first inductive coil placed adjacent theassociated storage cell so that at least a portion of the firstinductive coil is below a plane defined by the level of the electrolyteand another one of the one or more sensors comprises a second inductivecoil for detecting the specific gravity of the electrolyte, the secondinductive coil being placed adjacent the associated storage cell so thatthe second inductive coil is below the plane defined by the level of theelectrolyte.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more sensorsincludes a sensor for detecting the specific gravity of an electrolytein the associated storage cell.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein theone or more sensors includes a sensor for detecting the state-of-chargeof the associated storage cell.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein themeans for detecting the state-of-charge includes a multi-turn planarcoil lying substantially in a horizontal plane that intersects theplurality of conductive metal plates and the electrolyte of theassociated storage cell below its surface.
 12. The system of claim 10wherein the state-of-charge sensing means comprises means for generatinga charge pulse, means for applying the charge pulse to the associatedstorage cell, and means for generating a signal indicating the responseof the associated storage cell to the charge pulse.
 13. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the one or more sensors includes a circuit for measuringthe voltage, the internal resistance, the temperature, the resistance ofthe external connections, and the current passing through the associatedstorage cell.
 14. A system for monitoring electrolytic parameters of oneor more electrolytic storage cells, comprising:a monitoring moduleattached to each storage cell, each monitoring module having:a. meansfor generating a signal including at least a single predeterminedfrequency, b. a sensor attached to the associated storage cell, c. meansfor coupling the signal to the sensor, d. means for making a measurementof the complex impedance of the sensor at the single predeterminedfrequency, the complex impedance being a function of frequency and atleast one of the electrolytic parameters of the associated storage cell,and e. means for producing signals representative of the electrolyticparameters of the associated storage cell from the measurement of thecomplex impedance of each attached sensor at the single predeterminedfrequency; means for addressing each monitoring module to collect thesignals representative of the electrolytic parameters of each storagecell; and means for processing the collected signals to monitor theelectrolytic parameters of each storage cell.
 15. The system of claim 14wherein the means for measuring the complex impedance of the sensor isan inductive means attached to the associated storage cell.
 16. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein the monitoring module further includes meansfor sensing the specific gravity of the associated storage cell.
 17. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein the monitoring module further comprises meansfor sensing the state-of-charge of the associated storage cell.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17 wherein the state-of-charge sensing means comprisesmeans for generating a charge pulse, means for applying the charge pulseto the associated storage cell, and means for generating a signalindicating the response to the associated storage cell to the chargepulse.
 19. A system for monitoring electrolytic parameters of one ormore electrolytic storage cells including a plurality of conductivemetal plates immersed in an electrolyte, comprising:a monitoring moduleattached to each storage cell, each monitoring module having:a. meansfor generating a signal including at least a single predeterminedfrequency, b. coupling means for coupling the signal into each storagecell, c. a sensor attached to the associated storage cell, d. means formeasuring the complex impedance of the sensor at the singlepredetermined frequency, the complex impedance being a function of theelectrolytic parameters of the associated storage cell, e. means forproducing signals representative of the electrolytic parameters of theassociated storage cell; and f. means for sensing the state-of-charge ofthe associated storage cell, including a multi-turn planar coil lyingsubstantially in a horizontal plane that intersects the plurality ofconductive metal plates and the electrolyte of the associated storagecell below its surface; means for addressing each monitoring module tocollect the signals representative of the electrolytic condition of eachstorage cell; and means for processing the collected signals to monitorthe condition of each storage cell.
 20. The system of claim 1 whereinone of said one or more sensors comprises means for detecting the levelof an electrolyte in the associated storage cell.
 21. The system ofclaim 20 wherein the means for detecting the levle of an electrolytecomprises a first inductive coil placed adjacent the associated storagecell so that at least a portion of the first inductive coil is below aplane defined by the level of the electrolyte.
 22. The system of claim21, wherein another one of the one or more sensors comprises a secondinductive coil for detecting the specific gravity of the electrolyte,the second inductive coil being placed adjacent the associated storagecell so that the second inductive coil is below the plane defined by thelevel of the electrolyte.
 23. The system of claim 1 wherein the meansfor detecting the levle of an electrolyte in the associated storage cellincludes a plurality of capacitive sensors.